pretty darn good day

Music and CI

2008-05-17T00:18:00.004+09:00

Music Class Spring 2007

Cultural Inheritance Class

Some girls

2008-05-16T23:56:00.002+09:00

Told you there were some pretty girls around.

Reading and Writing Classes Spring 2007

2008-05-16T23:50:00.001+09:00

Reading Class

Writing Class

Leo's girlfriend

2008-05-16T23:42:00.003+09:00

We took a trip to Gyeongju National Museum.

Leo's girlfriend met us there. Leo's a rock star.

Basketball triumph

2008-05-16T23:33:00.002+09:00

This could have been me. My guys saved me (and themselves) by winning our basketball game with Stephane's class. The bet: losers wear miniskirts the next day. Believe it or not, there are actually quite a few pretty girls in our school.

Class T-shirts

2008-05-16T23:14:00.007+09:00

We decided to make some class T-shirts. My students had some friends who were graphic artists. They sent them some photos of me, and this is the artwork they came up with.

This one is on the right front breast, about 3 inches wide.

This is what we put on the back.

Gag shots

2008-05-16T23:08:00.001+09:00

My guys and I took some gag photos when we were out one time. They're pretty funny. I keep them in my wallet, they're good for a laugh.

Field trip to CheomSeongDae

2008-05-16T22:48:00.005+09:00

Here's me and my homeroom guys on a fieldtrip to CheomSeongDae, the observatory.

We took a photo with this cute little boy.

Frolicking in the fields.

Headin' back.

We went out for a bit of dinner afterward.

My magazine project group, Spring 2007

2008-05-16T22:41:00.000+09:00

Easter Monday, 2007

2008-05-16T22:34:00.004+09:00

Bike Ride

2008-02-04T22:00:00.000+09:00

Occasionally, we'd combine Cultural Inheritance class with a bit of an outing. Here we're taking advantage of the nice weather to head out on a bike ride.

Pizza and class presentations down by the lake.

Spring 2007

2008-02-04T21:44:00.000+09:00

So, here we are in spring 2007, my second semester at GEV. This is Cultural Inheritance class, which is also my Intensive Conversation and homeroom class. I had 11 students, all guys, and they dubbed themselves "Martin's Eleven".

Music English class

Reading English class

Writing class

Golgulsa

2008-02-02T19:53:00.001+09:00

My sister Suzanne and brother-in-law Peter came to visit me in January 2007. They had been doing some volunteer work in the Philippines and decided to drop in just because they were in the area. We had a really nice time visiting the Golgulsa temple.

2008-02-01T20:23:00.000+09:00

We also went for a visit to Seoul, where we took in the Gyeongbokgung Palace.

You can see Suzy and Peter in there, on the left.

Andong

2008-01-29T19:53:00.000+09:00

The entire school used to go on a full-day field trip once per semester. Here we are travelling to Andong, a town famous for its mask dance tradition.

Cheon Ma Chong

2008-01-29T19:21:00.001+09:00

One of the nice perks of my job is I get to go on field trips with my students to historical sites nearby. Here we're going to Cheon Ma Chong, the tomb of a Silla king.

Halloween 2006

2008-01-29T18:48:00.000+09:00

Halloween isn't traditionally a part of Korean culture, so it's especially fun for our students to dress up in costumes and play games like bob for apples. I was a zombie.

Kids' Halloween 2006

2008-01-29T18:47:00.000+09:00

I taught a night class at the time, so we had a kids Halloween party too.

girl in hanbok

2007-08-12T22:27:00.000+09:00

I saw this young girl dressed in Hanbok, a traditional Korean style of dress, outside the Seoul National Museum.

Travel magazine project

2007-08-12T22:16:00.000+09:00

This is my project tutorial group. We made a travel magazine for our project.

Anapji

2007-08-08T00:03:00.000+09:00

These pictures were taken at Anapji, which was a resort area for the nobility of the Silla kingdom about 1300 years ago. It was recently rediscovered and restored. Artifacts from this site include many everyday objects, in contrast to the material usually found in burial sites.

Playing Yuk

2007-08-04T00:02:00.000+09:00

Here's my homeroom class when we were playing Yuk, a traditional Korean game.

GEV Campus

2007-08-03T22:23:00.001+09:00

Here's our school, the Gyeongju English Village campus, part of the Catholic University of Daegu. The first two pictures show the adminstration building, which also holds the classrooms.

The dormitories, students on the left, staff on the right.

The cafeteria serves meals during the week, but teachers and students alike must fend for themselves on the weekends.

Trip to Bulguksa

2007-08-03T00:00:00.000+09:00

Here the fall 2006 university semester has started, and this is my homeroom class. We occasionally go out on field trips. Here we are at a famous temple nearby called Bulguksa.

These are two famous pagodas called Dabotab (right), which has an unusual architecture, and Seokgatap (left), which has a more conventional style. Dabotap represents the Dabo Buddha, who represents the objective truth. Seokgatap represents the Sakyamuni Buddha, who represents the subjective wisdom to realize this truth. The contrasting complexity and simplicity of their designs represents earthly versus spirtual existence, and the dual nature of the Buddha's contemplation.

Summer Camp 2006

2007-07-28T10:46:00.000+09:00

When I started working at GEV (Gyeongju English Village) in July 2006, my first task was to teach four weeks of English camp. We had to teach four weeks straight, seven days a week. I had a nice group of kids. One day some of the teachers took our kids out for a balloon ride.

Anna was a bit frightened of the height at first.

Here's a nice view of the Bomun Lake resort area. Our school is down there on the right somewhere.

After the balloon ride, we had some ice cream and strolled back to the school along the lake.

Last day at Jebu

2007-07-26T20:58:00.000+09:00

This was my last day at Jebu school. The grade 6 kids threw a class party for me, and the staff and I went out for dinner in the evening. It was a really fun day. I loved working with all the staff at Seosin, Jebu and Haeun schools, and I loved working with all the kids too. I was moving on to a better job, but I was sorry to say goodbye.

Jebu beach day

2007-06-28T02:01:00.000+09:00

In June at Jebu we spent one day on a field trip to the beach. The kids got nice and muddy digging around in the seabed looking for creatures.

Scout Day

2007-06-24T03:16:00.000+09:00

Several kids at Jebu were active in scouts, and one day in June we had Scout Day at school.

Hwaseong Fortress

2007-06-21T00:02:00.000+09:00

The city of Suwon was just 40 minutes away by bus. There wasn't a whole lot to do in Namyang, but I could pop in to Suwon to see a movie, or go to Outback Steakhouse. I could also catch the train into Seoul, which only took 35 minutes, so day trips to Seoul were quite feasible.

Suwon is also home to Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO world heritage site.

trip to Gyeongju

2007-06-20T02:11:00.000+09:00

I enjoyed my time at Seosin, Jebu and Haeun schools, and I was planning on renewing my contract, but I decided to apply for a few university jobs, just to see what might happen. One Saturday I travelled to Gyeongju for a job interview at Gyeongju English Village, operated by the Catholic University of Daegu. This was my first look at the Bomun Lake resort area of Gyeongju. During the train ride home, the director called me to tell me he was hiring me.

on the way to Jebu

2007-06-18T22:46:00.000+09:00

Jebu Elementary is a branch school of Seosin Elementary, and Haeun is an independent school that shared me with Seosin. On Mondays and Tuesdays I'd take the bus in to Seosin school (20 minutes) and around 9:00 one of the staff from Jebu would pick me up and drive me to Jebu Island. Sometimes the causeway closure would delay us, and we'd take the scenic route on the way there. This is an area on the mainland near Jebu. There's some landscaping being done for some new housing behind me to the left.

soccer fan song

2007-06-18T15:12:00.000+09:00

Here's a video of my Seosin kids learning the "Red Devils" fan song, used to support the Korean soccer team in the 2006 world cup.

winter camp

2007-06-17T21:29:00.001+09:00

The kids break from school around Christmas and don't come back until March 2nd. Foreign teachers are expected to teach winter camp during that time. Each school organizes its own camp, mine was four weeks long. Here's the only shot I have of my winter camp kids.

Sports Day at Jebu

2007-06-17T21:20:00.000+09:00

This video is a sequence of still photos.

This video is a sequence of video clips.

In October at Jebu we had Sports Day. It was a fun day. The parents show up and take part as well. Here are a couple of videos.

lunch at work

2007-06-17T21:14:00.000+09:00

Once in a while my fellow teachers, the other staff and I would go out for lunch or dinner. Usually we had lunch in the school cafeteria with the students.

causeway to Jebu

2007-06-17T21:08:00.001+09:00

This is the causeway to Jebu Island, with the island in the background. There's an intertidal zone between the island and the mainland, and the causeway is underwater at high tide. Sometimes I'd have to go to work late or come home early (or late) depending on the tide. Koreans refer to the parting of the water as the "miracle of Moses".

house near Jebu

2007-06-17T20:59:00.000+09:00

This is a house we used to pass on the way to Jebu. This sort of architecture isn't all that common, but you see it once in a while.

Haeun School

2007-06-17T01:21:00.000+09:00

I finally got around to taking some pictures of Haeun, my Friday school. It's kind of late in the fall, so the foliage isn't at its best. This school was voted to be the most beautiful elementary school in Korea a few years ago. (You can click on all the pictures in this blog to see an enlarged view.)

flowers at Jebu

2007-06-17T01:10:00.001+09:00

Here are some flowers and landscaping at Jebu.

autumn colors at Seosin

2007-06-17T00:10:00.000+09:00

There are plenty of these trees around, which turn a beautiful yellow in the fall.

Su and our soccer team

2007-06-16T23:49:00.000+09:00

I lived in a small town called Namyang. There were about seven or eight foreign teachers in the area, and we used to get together on Fridays for dinner and drinks. This is my friend Su. He used to hang out with us.

girls say hello

2007-06-16T01:36:00.000+09:00

Here's a video of some of my girls saying hello one day.

Hiking Korea

2007-06-16T01:24:00.001+09:00

Shortly after I arrived, I learned about this group called Hiking Korea. They're a group of hikers who, at that time, hadn't failed to go on a weekly Saturday hike in seven years. I had to travel into Seoul to meet them, so I only went the one time. It was pouring rain.

Jebu girls' song

2007-06-15T23:05:00.000+09:00

The grade 6 girls at Jebu were quite fun. They sang me this song during the first week.

first day at school

2007-06-15T22:21:00.000+09:00

My first day at my new school, Seosin Elementary. Actually, I divided my time up between three schools. Seosin (pronounced Saw-sheen) was the largest, where I taught Wednesdays and Thursdays. Monday and Tuesday I taught at Jebu Elementary, a smaller school on Jebu Island (Jay-boo), and Fridays I was at a yet smaller school called Haeun ("Hae" as in head, and "un" as in soon). It was nice to be able to divide up my time like that.

my apartment building

2007-06-15T03:07:00.000+09:00

Here's my apartment building in Namyang. It was a nice coincidence that my sister's name is Iris. There were a couple of other teachers living here as well. My friend Doug lived three doors down the hall.

trip to Vancouver

2007-06-14T14:40:00.000+09:00

It was nice to spend a day in Vancouver while I was picking up my visa. This is near Stanley Park.

Sproat Lake

2007-06-13T02:49:00.000+09:00

I spent a few weeks with my sister Suzanne and brother-in-law Peter at their place at Sproat Lake, BC, before heading off to Korea.

the move to Korea

2007-06-13T02:23:00.000+09:00

You can earn enough to live reasonably comfortably in Mexico, but it's kind of hard to save any money. And that's while putting in 45 teaching hours a week. In the spring of 2005 I decided to make the move to Korea. Fewer hours, more pay. I wanted to teach high school, but the schools required a face-to-face interview before hiring. Teaching English is a huge industry in Korea. There are thousands of jobs, and dozens available at any particular time. By law, foreign language teachers are required to have a four-year university degree. If you have the basic qualifications (a degree and a passport from an English-speaking country) you can find a job in a snap. I decided to go for public school rather than private (larger classes but more holidays), and through a recruiter I got a job teaching elementary school in Gyeonggi province.

Posada San Pablo

2007-06-13T02:12:00.001+09:00

Here we are hanging out in front of the Posada San Pablo, where some of my friends stayed.

La Barranca

2007-06-13T02:08:00.000+09:00

There's a nice canyon on the outskirts of town where you can go hiking.

La Mutualista

2007-06-13T02:01:00.001+09:00

Here are my classmates and I at La Mutualista, our favorite pub.

around town

2007-06-13T01:51:00.000+09:00

Guadalajara's really quite a pleasant place to live.

back to Guadalajara

2007-06-13T01:01:00.000+09:00

After I finished my TEFL course I spent a couple of months teaching in Acapulco, but I didn't like it there, so I returned to Guadalajara. My pictures of Mexico are courtesy of my friends Jesse and Katie, who are now engaged to be married.

Mexico

2007-06-12T22:31:00.000+09:00

Actually, I started in Mexico. I took my TEFL training in Guadalajara in Oct-Nov 2004. I didn't have a camera then, so I don't have too many photos, but here's one of our class dinner at the end of the course.

getting started

2007-06-12T22:02:00.000+09:00

Hi! My name's Martin. It's now June 2007. I arrived in Korea in August 2005 and I was planning on starting a blog then, but never got around to it until now. I'm playing catch-up.